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Silicon Avatar (episode)
The Enterprise gives chase to the Crystalline Entity after it destroys a Federation colony. A xenologist, who has a motivation all of her own with respect to the Crystalline Entity, is assigned to the Enterprise to assist in the investigations. Summary Teaser Commander Riker is on the surface of a lush and life-filled planet called Melona IV. He is speaking to Carmen Davila about plans for the construction of a colony there. Doctor Crusher and Lieutenant Commander Data are also present. The sky suddenly darkens and the Crystalline Entity appears. Data suggests that they might find cover for the colonists in caverns that lie to the east. Act One The Crystalline Entity destroys everything in its path with some kind of energy beam. Riker's friend Carmen goes back to help an old man who has fallen in the rush and is killed by the Entity. The 's sensors pick up an atmospheric disturbance, possibly an electromagnetic storm on Melona IV. They are 27 hours away at present speed. Captain Picard orders an increase in speed to warp 8. Back on the planet, the colonists have taken shelter underground. Data believes that the refractory metals in the rock will protect them. Crusher is concerned that they will run out of air soon. On the Enterprise, Picard increases speed to warp 9. They are still six hours away from Melona IV. Back on the planet, the cavern's oxygen is almost depleted but they haven’t heard the Entity in an hour. Riker and Data respond to a sudden sound near the entrance of the cavern. Lieutenant Worf enters the cave along with a rescue party, which includes Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge. Riker exits the cavern to see that the surface of the planet has been reduced to a barren wasteland as far as the eye can see. Act Two :"Captain's Log, Stardate 45122.3. We have notified Starfleet Command of our intention to pursue and investigate the Crystalline Entity. To that end, we have been joined by Doctor Kila Marr, a xenologist who has made studying the Entity her life’s work." Doctor Marr beams aboard the Enterprise and meets with the senior staff. Data confirms that it was the same entity that destroyed the colony at Omicron Theta. He says that the entity is basically an electromagnetic collector that converts all organic matter to energy. Dr. Marr states that in eleven recorded attacks, there have never been any survivors of an attack. Data surmises that the presence of kelbonite and fistrium in the rock may have protected them. Picard orders Data to accompany Dr. Marr to the planet’s surface to study the cavern. Dr. Marr is obviously displeased with having to work with Data, but Picard insists. On the planet, Dr. Marr tells Data that she distrusts him because his brother Lore aided the Entity in destroying the colony at Omicron Theta. Further, she believes that the reason the entity allowed the colonists to survive was due to Data's presence. She tells Data that her sixteen-year-old son was killed during the attack on the colony at Omicron Theta and that is why she has devoted her life to studying the entity. She promises to have Data dismantled if she finds that he has been assisting the Crystalline Entity as his brother did. Act Three La Forge, Data and Dr. Marr are in engineering. Data suggests that the soil samples should be scanned for gamma radiation to see if there are any traces of antiprotons. It is determined that the Crystalline Entity deposits these antiprotons as it travels through space. Soon the crew is able to determine the likely course the Entity has taken. They set course for the Brechtian Cluster. Dr. Marr has developed a modification of the photon torpedoes to destroy the entity. Picard has reservations and tells her that he intends to try and communicate with it. Dr. Marr is incredulous and very upset at Picard's desire to preserve a lifeform responsible for the death of thousands of innocent people. However, Picard reiterates his point, asking that Dr. Marr work together with Data to find a way to communicate with the Entity. She then joins Data in his quarters. He is playing the guitar when she enters. Data reveals to her that his memory contained the personal logs and even some personal memories of all the Omicron Theta colonists, including her son Raymond, who was called "Renny." Data and Dr. Marr are summoned to the bridge, where they learn that the freighter Kallisko is under attack. Act Four :"Captain's log, stardate 45125.7. An away team, led by Commander Riker, has conducted a thorough survey of the alien ship Kallisko and has returned to the Enterprise to report." An away team is sent to the Kallisko, only to find that the entire ship is devoid of life. Back in his ready-room Picard asks Riker to write a letter to Carmen's family. Riker asks for permission to speak freely and tells Picard that he is beginning to think that maybe Dr. Marr was right in that the Entity should be destroyed when they encounter it again because it will just continue killing. Picard, however, believes that Riker is influenced by personal feelings. Riker is rather upset at Picard's remark, stating that he is not a raw cadet and that he has lost people on missions before and that if they take their time to communicate with the Entity they might lose their chance to destroy it; something they cannot risk. Picard responds with pensive silence as Riker, in a rather sarcastic tone, states that he will now go writing that letter to Carmen's family. Data and Dr. Marr continue to work on a way to communicate with the Entity. They decide to use a graviton pulse to communicate with it. Dr. Marr creates a subroutine to allow them to vary the frequency of the pulses from the bridge. Data recites one of Renny’s journal entries using Renny's voice. Dr. Marr is visibly moved. Act Five :"Captain's log, Stardate 45129.2. We are still in pursuit of the crystalline entity. Data and Dr. Marr are prepared to attempt communication with the being when we intercept it. I will admit to some uncertainty about the prospect; it could prove to be a scientific triumph or a catastrophe." While still five light years away from the Brechtian Cluster, they begin emitting five nanosecond graviton emissions at one pulse per second. They increase to ten pulses per second, and Worf detects a large mass on an intercept course moving at warp speed. It is the Crystalline Entity, which stops near the Enterprise. They increase the graviton pulses to twenty per second and notice a signal coming from the Entity. A pattern emerges, and Data begins to decipher it. Dr. Marr then tries a continuous beam instead of the pulsing one. The Entity moves away slightly, as if hurt by the change. Picard orders a return to the intermittent signal, but Dr. Marr has locked out the controls and the amplitude begins to make the Entity unstable. It reaches a critical point and is completely destroyed in a spectacular explosion. Data escorts Dr. Marr to her quarters where she is confined. A very shaken Dr. Marr asks Data if he thinks Renny would understand why she did it. Data states that it is his belief that Renny would have been sad about what she did, because her decision has now effectively ended her career as a scientist and he was proud of the scientific work that his mother did. Data leaves the shocked doctor to her thoughts as reality sets in on what she had just done in the means of revenge. Memorable Quotes "I don't think you need an empath to sense that woman's feelings." : - Troi to Picard "There's hostility that she seems to have transferred from Lore to Data. Perhaps you shouldn't have forced them together so soon." "If her discomfort is going to affect her judgment or her objectivity, I need to know now." : - Troi and Picard "Mr. Worf, I don't believe I've ever seen a more beautiful sight." : - Riker "Perhaps the combination of the two metals prevented the Entity from..." "Perhaps it was you!" "I do not understand." "Maybe it was your presence that made the Entity pass over the people in this cave, did that occur to you?" "I cannot see what effect my being here would have had..." "If you had been in contact with the Entity, if that's the reason Melona was attacked, surely it wouldn't have killed its ally." "Do you believe that I lured the Entity here?" "Did you?" "No doctor. Because Lore betrayed the colonists on Omicron Theta, you believe that I am capable of the same behavior. You are mistaken, doctor. My programming is distinctly different from Lore's." "You don't understand, I am accusing you of collaborating with that monster!" "I do understand. And I am attempting to explain to you it is impossible." "Amazing. You can't feel anything, can you? Nothing I say to you hurts you?" "That is true, doctor." : - Data and Doctor Kila Marr, desperately attempting to intimidate the android, and then being faced with the fact that it is impossible. "Why are we pursuing the Entity, if not to destroy it?" "We are not hunters, Doctor. Nor is it our role to exact revenge." "What do you propose? We track it down, greet it warmly and ask it if it would mind terribly not ravaging any more planets!?" : - Doctor Kila Marr and Jean-Luc Picard "And as you know... I provide the most ''memorable desserts." "''My favorite part of dinner." : - Carmen Davila and William Riker "The sperm whale on Earth devours millions of cuttlefish. It is not evil. It is feeding." : - Picard Background Information *One meaning of "avatar" is a "repository of knowledge", and as such, Jeri Taylor intended the title to refer to Data. (Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion) *When Geordi La Forge compliments Dr. Marr on her professional handling of a console in main engineering, a LCARS graphic is seen for a short time. This is a re-use of the Hydrogen-alpha emission (with the 4077) from *The guitar piece played by Data is "Prelude No.2 in A Minor" by Francisco Tarrega. *This is one of the few episodes in which Data demonstrates his ability to precisely mimic the speech patterns of other individuals. Other examples include where he repeats Q's depiction of the trial against humanity, and where he employs Captain Picard's voice authorization codes to commandeer the main bridge. Video and DVD releases *Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 52, *UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 5.2, catalog number VHR 4761, *As part of the TNG Season 5 DVD collection Links and references Starring * Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard * Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker Also Starring * LeVar Burton as Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge * Michael Dorn as Lieutenant Worf * Gates McFadden as Doctor Beverly Crusher * Marina Sirtis as Counselor Deanna Troi * Brent Spiner as Lieutenant Commander Data Guest Stars *Ellen Geer as Doctor Kila Marr *Susan Diol as Carmen Davila Uncredited Co-Stars *J. Bauman as Crewman Garvey *T. Cruz as Ensign Lopez *Randy James as Lieutenant Jones *Jason Marsden as the voice of Raymond Marr *Tim McCormack as Ensign Bennett (stock footage) *John Tampoya as a Melona IV colonist *Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace *Unknown performers as **''Kallisko'' captain (voice only) **Eight Melona IV colonists References access code; antiproton; archaeology; Argos system; arts center; bacteria; bitrium; Boreal III; Brechtian Cluster; cadet; cave; cellular biology; cellulose; championship emblem; chicken curry; Clendenning; crystal; Crystalline Entity; cuttlefish; Davila, Carmen; dessert; electrical storm; electromagnetic collector; electronvolt; fistrium; Forlat III; gamma radiation; gamma scan; graviton beam; greenery storage; guitar; hertz; hospital; humor; hydrocarbon; insect; Janina; Kallisko; kelbonite; lanthanide; Lore; Marr, Raymond, Melona; Melona IV; Melona colony; memory cell; metal; monocaladium; monster; neural net; nitrate; Omicron Theta; outpost; Parrises squares; particle phaser; photon torpedo; plant; ration; replicator; residential pod; school; science station; skeleton crew; Soong, Noonien; spectrographic analysis; sperm whale; starbase; Starfleet; Starfleet Command; synaptic pattern; temporal lobe; tent; transport ship; Wallace family; wine; xenologist (xenology) |next= }} Category:TNG episodes de:Das Recht auf Leben es:Silicon Avatar it:L'entità di cristallo (episodio) ja:TNG:殺戮の宇宙水晶体 nl:Silicon Avatar pl:Silicon Avatar